


Never imagined

by Jisbon28



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist - All Media Types, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: FMA Secret Santa 2020, I'm so nervous, Multi, Royai - Freeform, because why not, ed's a five star baker, i mean i love them
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-01
Updated: 2021-01-01
Packaged: 2021-03-10 17:21:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,938
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28470795
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jisbon28/pseuds/Jisbon28
Summary: Ed knew that people in general, an even a few who were closer to him, thought that he was this punk kid with no sense of fashion at all and that he was, albeit incredibly intelligent, only good for wrecking things up. Little did they know that one of his hidden talents only shown to an amount of people he could count on one of his hands, was baking.
Relationships: Edward Elric & Riza Hawkeye, Edward Elric & Roy Mustang, Riza Hawkeye/Roy Mustang
Comments: 6
Kudos: 60
Collections: FMA Secret Santa 2020





	Never imagined

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Raisans_Grapeon](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Raisans_Grapeon/gifts).



> This is my first ever written work, so, yeah, I'm nervous.  
> I hope everyone enjoys!  
> Happy New Year!

Ed knew he was great at many things. Some of those things were guilty pleasures of his that he might not want to let out. 

He also knew that when people in general, an even a few who were closer to him, thought that he was this punk kid with no sense of fashion at all and that he was, albeit incredibly intelligent, only good for wrecking things up. Little did they know that one of his hidden talents only shown to an amount of people he could count on one of his hands, was baking. 

It’s not that he was ashamed of it, but everyone knew it was a kind of girly thing, so he preferred to keep it to himself, Al, granny, and Winry. 

Ed could clearly remember how he once saw his mother stirring something on a bowl and smashing lots of dough, being the smashing what caught his eye. He stared at her hidden behind a corner, seemingly fascinated, while following all the process his mom was doing with wide eyes. A process that got a delicious cake as a result. After that, he attempted to make one himself to surprise Trisha, but things didn’t go out as expected, yet what he made was edible if not a little too sweet. He would never forget his mom’s bright smile as he presented her his funny-looking-cake, nor the tight hug his hard work earned him. 

After that day, Trisha made sure to bake with Ed once or twice a week, due to his eagerness to learn more and more recipes. Thanks to those days, he got a lot of sweet memories treasured in his heart. 

However, when he and Al decided to leave  Resembool behind after he had been given his State Alchemist title, he had to stop his regular baking hobby, as it was difficult to start doing so in the middle of a journey, and because he knew getting their bodies back was more important than his hobby; after all, Al couldn’t try his recipes for the time being, so it was a no-no. 

For this reason, Edward made himself a promise, to not bake anything again until they were both back to normal, so that he and Al could enjoy together what he’d make. 

Only problem was that he really missed it. It was an activity that relaxed him and made him feel close to his mother. 

As a true genius, though, he changed tactics and started to collect new recipes instead. That way he’d even have a few surprises for Al once everything was back to normal.

So those were his days. Researching the Philosopher’s Stone, traveling the country, completing missions for the military, collecting recipes, and missing his baking. 

Today was no different. He and Al had just got back from a mission given by the colonel, and he had been ordered to hand in his mission report directly to the colonel himself as soon as they were back in East City. 

He really didn’t want to deal with the bastard, but he knew he had no choice. He was preparing himself for some height jokes and lectures about not damaging property as he and Al walked up the steps to Eastern Command. 

“Please, brother, try not to start a fight the Lieutenant will have to deal with again”, muttered Al as he quickly opened the door to let Ed in first before he would start kicking doors open on his own. 

“Come on, Al. You know I don’t do that on purpose, the jerk is the only one to blame for anything that happens.” 

Well, not exactly, but Ed wasn’t going to plead guilty. While the colonel might start the arguments with his scalding remarks, he used to take the bait and they would continue until an actual adult would appear to set things in order. Meaning Lieutenant Hawkeye.

The pair kept bickering, mostly about why Al couldn’t keep on picking stray cats all the time, until the unit’s office door was in front of them.

“Alright brother, please behave”, begged Al while knowing gently on the door.

“No promises, little brother”, laughed Ed.

“Come in!” Yelled a voice from inside.

Al opened the door and they found the unit, minus Colonel Mustang and Lieutenant Hawkeye, looking very relaxed. Lieutenant Havoc had his legs propped up on his desk while he and Lieutenant Breda tossed a little rubber ball at each other, Officer Falman was discretely reading a book he had hidden in his desk drawer, and Sargeant Fuery was sorting a selection of dog treats which surely were for Black Hayate. As they saw the brothers enter, they all greeted them kindly.

“How are you, boys”, asked Havoc.

“Slacking as usual, eh?”, murmured Ed to his brother.

Alphonse just ignored him. “Hello everyone, we’re fine, thanks. We just came by to hand in Ed’s report to the colonel. He asked Ed to hand it to him directly.”

“Bad luck, guys, the colonel didn’t come in today. Lieutenant Hawkeye is handling all his businesses and appointments”, said Breda. 

“Maybe you could give the report to her”, pipped in Fuery.

“That would be great! It’s always better to deal with the lieutenant than to deal with  _ him _ ”, claimed the now brightly smiling alchemist. “Do you know  where she is?”

“She went to drop off some paperwork to General Grumman, but should be back soon. Why don’t you sit here and wait for her?”, offered Falman.

“We will, thank you”, said Al as he and Ed went to sit on a couch. 

Ed was about to ask why the colonel wasn’t there when the door opened and Lieutenant Hawkeye came in with her little pup right beside her. Upon seeing her cross the door, all militaries sat up properly and got back to work, although a dog treat fell off the hastily hidden package Fuery was sorting and Hayate quickly ran to get it. Hawkeye looked none too impressed.

“It’s not like I don’t know you slack off whenever I go out of the office”, this was obviously a common occurrence since she sounded completely unsurprised. 

Ed stifled a chuckle and Al nudged him. “Ow! Al, you know you are metal, right? That hurt!”, yelped Ed as he rubbed on his side.

At this, Hawkeye noticed the boys sitting on the couch and approached them with a smile on her face, “Alphonse, Edward, you’re looking very well, how are you? Was your trip good?”

“Hey lieutenant, we’re good. The trip was pretty uneventful, though”, said Ed, scratching the back of his neck. 

“Yes, we’re very well, lieutenant, how about you?”, asked Al.

“I’m alright, thank you for asking. Well, I suppose you came here to give your mission report to the colonel, right?” 

“Yes, but the guys here said he didn’t come in today. Would it be okay if you receive it?”, asked Ed with a hopeful expression.

“Sorry Ed, I would love to but he has to personally go over that report”. She hesitated for a minute, “Listen, right now I can’t go fetch him because if I leave this bunch unsupervised for any longer, they won’t finish all they have to do for the day. Would you be so kind to go to his apartment and give it to him directly, have him check it and then bring it back here so I can file it?” 

Ed didn’t like it, but how could he say no to her? She was always nice to him and Al, and even cared about them. Besides, it might be fun to see the colonel in his living environment.  So he agreed. She gave him the address on a piece of paper and he and Al were about to leave when Fuery asked Alphonse if he minded staying and helping him bring into the office some equipment. Al agreed as well, of course.

So, Al stayed in the office and Ed went on his own to the colonel’s apartment with his report tucked under his arm. Only after promising Al not to cause the dumbass any trouble.

Ed made his way to the right building and once he reached the correct apartment, he knocked on the door.

He was totally  _ not  _ expecting what he saw.

There he was, the dumbass, looking just like one, covered in a white powder (probably flour, hopefully) from head to boots and wearing a red apron with a design full of apples. 

“I’m I interrupting?”, asked a very amused Ed.

Mustang’s eyes widened at the sight of his youngest subordinate. “ Fullmetal ! What the hell are you doing here?” He even tried to close the door a little bit, but Ed quickly pulled his metal arm out to prevent him from closing it completely.

“Calm down, Colonel Bastard. I’m only here because Lieutenant Hawkeye asked me to bring you my mission report so that you could do your job and then take it back to her. It’s not like I wanted to come and see you”. 

At this, the colonel relaxed a bit. “Oh, she sent you. Yes, your mission report. Alright, give it to me and come back later-”

“No way, she specifically told me to stay here until you finished and then bring it back to the office. Also, if I leave now, what’s to say you won’t get distracted and will end up not checking it?”

_ The smartass _ , thought Mustang, he sighed. “Listen, right now I’m in the middle of something and I’m not doing so well, could you just-”

“What are you even doing? You’re a mess”, laughed Ed.

“None of your business, Fullmetal.”

“I could help you, you know, if you told me- wait", Ed’s eyes grew wide, “Are you baking?”

Mustang grunted “Maybe, what’s it to you?”

“Well...”, he hesitated. If he told the jerk this, he might make fun of him. On the other hand, he kind of seemed anxious about not being able to do what he planned, so who knows, it could end up earning him some respect from his superior officer. “Listen, I could help you bake something. I’m actually pretty good at it”, Mustang looked dubious, “I mean it, bastard, you can ask Al if you don’t believe me, I learned how to do it when I was little- YOU BETTER SHUT UP, I’M TRYING TO HELP YOU.”

The colonel closed his mouth, because he was obviously about to make fun of his height. Then he stood there for a minute, considering Ed. 

“Good”, he finally said, “come in then, but you better know what you’re doing.”

“More than you, that’s for sure”, murmured Ed as he went inside, he took off his coat and hanged it where Mustang showed him where to put it. He noticed the apartment wasn’t that big, but he guessed it was the normal size for a single man with not that many belongings. 

As the colonel led him through the living room and down a hall to a regular size kitchen, Ed saw a few framed pictures of Mustang and the unit, with Hughes, even one where he could see a younger Roy Mustang side-hugging a shorter blonde girl... she looked awfully familiar. When they reached the kitchen, he could see the total disaster it was in: flour everywhere, as if the dumbass hadn’t any idea of how to open its bag and had ended up blowing all around, there was also an attempt of a cake (or something like that) on a baking pan, and lots of ingredients in many different surfaces.

“So... what where you trying to do?”, asked Ed nervously.

The poor bastard looked incredibly disappointed. “I don’t even know-”  _ Was that a sob?  _ “I’m not sure what her favorite dessert is, I just wanted to surprise-”

“Who is it for?”, patiently asked Ed.

Mustang rubbed his neck and murmured, “Hawkeye”.

“Is it her birthday?”  _ If it is, I should tell Al so that we get her something _ , thought Ed.

“Yes, it’s tomorrow, and well, she always does so much for me, I thought this might be a good detail to have with her. She has a  sweet teeth , you know”, sheepishly said Mustang.

“With all she puts up with you, she does deserve everything, I guess”, said Ed with a chuckle. “But what does she like?  ‘Cause , you know, sometimes people prefer other pastries rather than cakes, and that would be even more special”, Ed was now in full baker mode, “Tell me, does she like cookies of some kind in specific? Cupcakes? Cinnamon rolls? Apple pie-”

“Rolls!”, jumped up Mustang. “I had forgotten, but most of the times we have pastries at the office, she picks up a cinnamon roll. She always  gets lost in those, really loves them.”

“Perfect then”, Ed clapped his palms over his pants, “cinnamon rolls it is.”

And just like that their roles reversed as Ed instructed Mustang how to do the procedures, and this one followed Ed’s commands. Because, as Ed told him, it’s better to do it yourself, that way it means more for the person you give it to.

“Okay”, started Ed, “first the dough. Grab that glass and pour the cup of warm milk in it, then add a tablespoon of yeast and a teaspoon of sugar and stir it for a little while, like fifteen seconds. Yes-NOT LIKE THAT YOU DUMBASS, SOFTLY!”

Mustang had started to angrily shake the mix and stopped, startled at the teen’s outburst. “Sorry, I’m not used to being gentle”, he smirked.

“Idiot”, muttered Ed. “Alright, now leave the glass with the mix on that table. Good. Now,” he grabbed a big bowl and handed it to Mustang, “you have to add 5 cups of flour here- USE THE DAMN MEASURING CUP NOT THE ONE WHERE YOU DRINK YOUR COFFEE, IT’S RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU-”

“You’re not the best of teachers, you know  Fullmetal ”, said Mustang a little miffed.

“It’s not my fault you’re so useless, but you know what, let’s just keep going.”

“Good, now what?”

Ed sighed, asking who knows who for some patience. “Now add half a cup of sugar-” Mustang signaled the measuring cup, “yes, that one, make sure it’s only half a cup. Okay, now ad a pinch of salt.” Ed breathed in slowly, “No, a pinch is not marked in the cup, just use your fingers, grab what you can with your thumb, index, and ring finger altogether. Yes, like that.”

“Hey  Fullmetal , what would happen if I snap my fingers to cook it? Would it work?”  _ Geez, he’s worse than I am _ .

“Focus, colonel!” 

“Sorry, what’s next?”

Ed rolled his eyes as he grabbed another bowl, “Here. Now put 75 grams of butter and stir it a little. Then add two eggs- WITHOUT THE EGGSHELL ARE YOU THAT MUCH OF AN IDIOT?”

“IT WAS A JOKE, YOU LITTLE ELF.”

“WHO ARE YOU CALLING AN ELF? GOOD FOR NOTHING COLONEL.”

“Okay, okay, let’s relax, how much longer is this going to take?”

“If you keep acting like a baby, we’ll never finish.”

“Fine, I’ll focus.”

“Great, because this takes like three hours”, muttered Ed.

“THREE HOURS?”

“Hey, this is like, not even the least you could do for Hawkeye, just put some effort, okay? It’ll be worth it once she tries it.”

“I hope so.”

“Let’s move on, then. Keep on stirring the eggs and the butter. Once you’ve finished, bring the bowl with the flour. Yes, put it right in front of you, now make a hole in the middle of it and pour inside the mix you just made. The one of butter and eggs. Perfect, now start kneading it all, it has to blend very well.”

“You know,  Fullmetal , it’s admirable, you’re really good at this, it requires a lot of patience and here I thought you had none of that”, claimed a smirking colonel.

“Very funny, old man”, snapped Ed.

Mustang laughed. “No, I mean it Ed. You really know what you’re doing, where did you learn?”, asked curiously.

“Yeah...  mhm , my mom”, said Ed with a wistful smile on his face.

“Ah, well... she did good”, was all the colonel said.

“Yeah, she did”, said Ed softly.

“My hands are getting tired”, confessed Mustang.

“Sorry, I forgot, now add the first mix you made, the one with the yeast. Just pour it over the dough and keep kneading it until it’s no longer mushy. Now put in over the table and keep on doing it. And yes, your hands and arms will get even more tired, but as I said: it’s worth it.”

“I know, I know... I’ll believe it when they’re ready and I make sure to try one first”, grumbled Mustang. “Hey, I think it’s ready. See?”, he asked as he held it up and showed Ed how it didn’t stick to his fingers anymore.

“Perfect, colonel dumbass, you made it. Well, this part at least.” Ed might not admit it, but he felt proud of himself and of the dumb grown man in front of him. “Now, take this other bowl, spread some oil on it, not too much, though. That’s fine. And put the ball of dough inside. Cover it with a little blanket and it has to be placed in a warm place to rest for one hour.”

“Right by the window it’s fine?”, asked Mustang.

“Yeah. Do you have a timer?” Mustang nodded. “Good, then set it in one hour.”

After having done so, Ed helped him clean the area. Mustang served them each a glass of juice and they started checking the report. Very soon, though, the timer went off.

“Back to baking”, said Ed happily.

Mustang just smiled.

“Alright, colonel. Now take the dough gently out of the bowl and onto the table.” It was fun, as if the Flame Alchemist was scared of hurting a ball of dough. “It’s not alive, you know. I said gently, not afraid, it’s not a bomb.”

“Can you blame me? I just want it to be perfect!”

“Okay, okay. Listen, now knead it for a minute, softly. Good. Lift it and sprinkle some flour over the table so that when you start to roll it, the dough won’t stick to the table.” Ed explained expertly.

“Great! Now I get to use the rolling pin?”, the colonel pipped in very eagerly.

“Yes, you psychopath. Put the dough there and start rolling it with the pin. Try to get it to form a rectangle, that way it will be easy to form the rolls.”

“I’m not a psychopath, I just like to roll things, like those child’s toys.” Mustang defended himself. Well, tried.

“Whatever. Hey, you did a good job, it’s got a good shape. Perfect then, now comes the best part.” Ed took a spoon and handed it to Mustang. “Use this to spread the butter evenly over the dough, and do not forget to put enough on the edges too.”

“This is fun. Like painting.” Who’d have thought Roy Mustang would start using his cinnamon rolls dough to play as if he was some kind of abstract painter? Bless Hawkeye and her patience.

“ Fo-cus .” Mustang stopped, “I mean, it’s okay to have fun while doing this, but you irk me and I can’t help it.”

“Don’t worry, I get it, Fullmetal. Now?”

“Now take this cup, and put a cup of brown sugar and a tablespoon of powdered cinnamon in it. Mix it. Good, now that it’s all mixed up, you can sprinkle it all over the buttered dough. Everywhere.”

“ This smells so good already, and it’s looking awesome too.” Said a smiling colonel.

“I know, it’s the cinnamon”, said Ed. “Now, once it’s all smeared, you can start to roll it. Take the side that’s closer to you, and start rolling it to the front. Roll it all together, it will look like a really large cinnamon roll, but after it’s set, you will cut it to smaller pieces.”

Colonel Mustang laughed. “I don’t know why, but I find this so funny, like, I’m really enjoying it, and it amuses me too. I guess it feels really accomplishing. Don’t know how to explain.”

“It’s freedom, I guess. And it can get stressing, but it’s actually a very peaceful activity.” Said Ed.

“Okay, I think that’s it. It looks like a huge, fat worm. I’ll make sure not to tell Ri- Hawkeye that analogy.”  _ Was he nervous? _

“At this point, I’m going to give you a special family trick. Do you have a piece of thread?” asked Ed.

Mustang looked confused, “Yeah, sure, give me a minute.” A few minutes later he came back with a long thread, “Is this okay?”

“Perfect”, smiled Ed. “Now, look, Colonel Matchstick”, he took one end of the dough roll, lifted it up just a bit, and slid the thread under the roll with his fingers, then, he put the roll back down, held the thread of each side with a hand each, crossed them, and pulled them. Roy was amazed at seeing the perfect cut, he could see the perfectly cut spiral. “See?”, asked a proudly smiling Ed, “this way each individual roll looks perfect, unlike rolls cut with a knife, those ones look smashed.”

“This is awesome, Ed. Did your mom teach you this too?” Asked a mesmerized idiot.

“Yeah, she had plenty of tricks”, Ed seemed a bit sad, and Roy noticed.

“Well, I’m sure she would be really proud of you and your culinary prowess.” Mustang told him sincerely, and he added with a brief look into his eyes, “Thank you for sharing it with me, I’ll make sure to give it a good use.” Both quickly looked away.

“You’re welcome... but it’s not finished yet. Now, cut the rest the same way I did, once you’re done, we’ll leave them to rest for another hour, I’ll set the timer, in the meantime, let’s clean up the table and let's try to finish reviewing the report.” Said Ed.

They did clean up, and they did finish checking the report, Roy just added his signature and told him it was ready for him to take it back to his Lieutenant. Just in time before the timer  chimed .

“Time’s up. Now let’s put them on this tray and into the oven for fifteen minutes at 180°.” Stated Ed.

The delicious smell of the warm pastries flooded the whole place, it was heavenly. 

After the designated time, they were ready.

“Okay, let’s try them at the same time, so in case it’s bad, we’re both intoxicated”, decided Mustang.

“It’s not, you bastard. But fine. On one, two, three.”

They both moaned, startled, and then  bursted out laughing. 

“We’re not mentioning that, alright?”, said the colonel.

“Never  happened ”, agreed Ed.

After it, they cleaned up the rest, and Ed helped the colonel pack the rolls tastefully after they cooled down a bit.

“Well, that’s all, I have to get back to the office to give Hawkeye the report and pick Al, I’m sure he’s being used for multitasking in my absence”, laughed Ed while picking up his red coat.

“Say hi to Al and the unit for me.” Said the colonel as he walked opened the door. Ed stepped out and waved him goodbye. “Hey!”, Ed turned to face him from down the hall, “Thank you, Edward.”

Ed was surprised, but in a good way, so he nodded goodbye, and Mustang nodded back.

“You’re welcome, Colonel.” And just because he had to, “I hope your childhood friend enjoys her cinnamon rolls!” he yelled as he ran down the hall.

The end.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reaching this, haha.  
> If this was too long, I'm really sorry, I just can't help myself.  
> And if someone has any constructive feedback, I'd love to hear it :D
> 
> Once again, Happy New Year, and lots of blessings!


End file.
